Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring — here's why that matters ⤵️
Senate Democrats for opposing his nomination in light of those allegations. Most recently, of course, Senate Republicans swiftly appointed Barrett during, well, an election year — reversing their justification for stealing a Court seat from Garland.
This recent history makes it clear that the politicization of the Supreme Court has accelerated, dismantling the notion that SCOTUS can stay above the partisan fray. A recent found 61% of Americans think the Supreme Court is motivated mainly by politics, while only 32% think it is motivated by the law. This is incredibly problematic for the strength and security of our democracy.In his latest book
, the justice seems to understand that political polarization is causing the public to lose confidence in the nation’s highest court, yet he hasn’t really acknowledged how the Court itself, its traditions, and even its justices can undermine the entity's independence. Breyer believes that justices only ever operate based on their approach to jurisprudence, not political preference or ideology.
The truth is, SCOTUS is a political institution, and it has been for a very long time. But it's losing credibility fast. Breyer staying on the bench won't reverse that trajectory. What will? An end to life tenure for Supreme Court justices and the introduction of common-sense,